Municipal city hall employee arrested for assaulting media representatives at rally

The Special Investigation Service on Friday  announced it had arrested an individual for assaulting journalists and a cameraman during a rally in Kakheti region, Sagarejo municipality, on July 6. 

The suspect Mamuka Shakarashvili is an employee of the cleaning service of Sagarejo City Hall, who was at the rally during working hours. 

A group of people attacked the members of the United National Movement opposition and several domestic media on July 6, throwing bottles and stones at them. 

During the incident, stones hit the Kakheti regional journalist of Mtavari Arkhi TV, Ia Guliashvili, and Sulkhan Chkadua, a cameraman of Formula TV. In the video released by Formula, it can be seen that stones were thrown at the journalist of the same channel, Giorgi Kvizhinadze.

The equipment of TV companies was also damaged.

The opposition had accused the authorities of “staging the provocation”.